CVE-2021-39134
8.2 · HIGHOverview
CVE-2021-39134 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting npmjs arborist. It was published on August 31, 2021 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2 (HIGH).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
`@npmcli/arborist`, the library that calculates dependency trees and manages the `node_modules` folder hierarchy for the npm command line interface, aims to guarantee that package dependency contracts will be met, and the extraction of package contents will always be performed into the expected folder. This is, in part, accomplished by resolving dependency specifiers defined in `package.json` manifests for dependencies with a specific name, and nesting folders to resolve conflicting dependencies. When multiple dependencies differ only in the case of their name, Arborist's internal data structure saw them as separate items that could coexist within the same level in the `node_modules` hierarchy. However, on case-insensitive file systems (such as macOS and Windows), this is not the case. Combined with a symlink dependency such as `file:/some/path`, this allowed an attacker to create a situation in which arbitrary contents could be written to any location on the filesystem. For example, a
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from npmjs. Update arborist to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| npmjs | arborist | >= 0, < 2.8.2 | Affected |
| npmjs | npm | >= 0, < 7.20.7 | Affected |
| siemens | sinec_infrastructure_network_services | >= 0, < 1.0.1.1 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-39134?
CVE-2021-39134 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting npmjs arborist. It was published on August 31, 2021 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2021-39134?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2021-39134?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from npmjs. Update arborist to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2021-39134?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2021-39134 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
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